Maryland National Lawyers Guildhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com
"To the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests..."
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1 http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngMaryland National Lawyers Guildhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com
Mid-Atlantic NLG Regional Conference in DC on April 6thhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/mid-atlantic-nlg-regional-conference-in-dc-on-april-6th/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/mid-atlantic-nlg-regional-conference-in-dc-on-april-6th/#respondTue, 26 Feb 2019 14:42:41 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1647More Mid-Atlantic NLG Regional Conference in DC on April 6th]]>Join us on Saturday, April 6th, 2019 from 9AM to 4PM for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law, 4340 Connecticut Avenue, NW hosted by the DC Chapter of National Lawyers Guild.

]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/mid-atlantic-nlg-regional-conference-in-dc-on-april-6th/feed/0NLG Mid-Atlantic Conference Flyer at UDC on April 6 2019nlgmarylandNext Maryland NLG Meeting- 6pm on March 20th in room 202 of UB Lawhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/next-maryland-nlg-meeting-6pm-on-march-20th-in-room-202-of-ub-law/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/next-maryland-nlg-meeting-6pm-on-march-20th-in-room-202-of-ub-law/#respondTue, 26 Feb 2019 14:36:12 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1645More Next Maryland NLG Meeting- 6pm on March 20th in room 202 of UB Law]]>The next Maryland chapter meeting of the National Lawyers Guild will take place on Wednesday, March 20th at 6pm in room 202 of the University of Baltimore law school, 1401 N. Charles Street. There has been a lot going on locally, at the state level, nationally, and internationally to talk about. Also, the Mid-Atlantic Guild regional conference is coming together for April 6th at the University of the District of Columbia, which we can discuss.

After the Maryland National Lawyers Guild meetings planned for the first two months of 2019 were cancelled due to inclement weather, hopefully the third time this year will be the charm…

]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/next-maryland-nlg-meeting-6pm-on-march-20th-in-room-202-of-ub-law/feed/0nlgmarylandMaryland NLG Meeting on February 20 at 6pm in UB Law Room 607https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/14/maryland-nlg-meeting-on-february-20-at-6pm-in-ub-law-room-607/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/14/maryland-nlg-meeting-on-february-20-at-6pm-in-ub-law-room-607/#respondThu, 14 Feb 2019 14:50:53 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1642More Maryland NLG Meeting on February 20 at 6pm in UB Law Room 607]]>The next meeting of the Maryland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild will take place on Wednesday, February 20 at 6:00 pm in room 607 of the University of Baltimore School of Law, 1401 N. Charles Street. Since last month’s meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather, and there were no Maryland NLG business meetings in November or December, there will be a lot to discuss at the meeting on February 20.
]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/02/14/maryland-nlg-meeting-on-february-20-at-6pm-in-ub-law-room-607/feed/0nlgmarylandNLG Maryland Chapter – January 30, 2019 Meetinghttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/nlg-maryland-chapter-january-30-2019-meeting/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/nlg-maryland-chapter-january-30-2019-meeting/#respondMon, 21 Jan 2019 03:40:49 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1639The January meeting of the Maryland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild will be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, at 5:30 P.M., at Tambers Restaurant, 3327 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218. If you have any items for the agenda, please email Curtis Cooper. See you at Tambers Restaurant!
]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/nlg-maryland-chapter-january-30-2019-meeting/feed/0nlgmarylandNo Maryland NLG meeting this month. Attend the Land Trust Fundraiser on December 12th instead!https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/no-maryland-nlg-meeting-this-month-attend-the-land-trust-fundraiser-on-december-12th-instead/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/no-maryland-nlg-meeting-this-month-attend-the-land-trust-fundraiser-on-december-12th-instead/#respondTue, 04 Dec 2018 13:55:53 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1629More No Maryland NLG meeting this month. Attend the Land Trust Fundraiser on December 12th instead!]]>In lieu of a monthly NLG Maryland chapter meeting in December, we have decided to encourage Guild members to attend a worthy fundraiser on the 12th of this month from 5-9pm at Peabody Heights Brewing, 401 E. 30th Street, to support Charm City Land Trusts (CCLT). 15% of the proceeds from Peabody Heights’ sales on the 12th will go to CCLT. After our chapter’s well attended going-away party for Professor Colin Starger on November 28th, and with the bustle of the winter holiday season; we feel it is a good time to take a break from our monthly meetings and support CCLT. The following information is cut and pasted from the Facebook event page for the fundraiser-

Have you ever wished you could support your community by drinking
beer? Peabody Heights Brewing can make your wish come true- they have
committed to donating 15% of all proceeds from our Holiday Happy Hour
to support Charm City Land Trusts very first community-owned home.
CCLT is aiming to raise 20,000 dollars to renovate their house AND
make it affordable to a long-term McElderry Park resident at around
$500/month. This is less than half of what community members currently
pay in rent!

]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/no-maryland-nlg-meeting-this-month-attend-the-land-trust-fundraiser-on-december-12th-instead/feed/0nlgmarylandNLG-MD Party at XS in Baltimore on November 28thhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/nlg-md-party-at-xs-in-baltimore-on-november-28th/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/nlg-md-party-at-xs-in-baltimore-on-november-28th/#respondMon, 12 Nov 2018 19:25:38 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1617More NLG-MD Party at XS in Baltimore on November 28th]]>The Maryland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild will host a party to wish Professor Colin Starger “ka kite ano” (Maori for “until I see you again”) for his upcoming sabbatical to New Zealand. The party will be from 6-8pm on Wednesday, November 28th, 2018 at XS Restaurant, 1307 N. Charles Street in Baltimore. There is no cover charge, but attendees will have the chance to donate to the Maryland Lawyers Guild and participate in a fundraising raffle with fabulous prizes. We also look forward to toasting recent UB Law School grads who passed the bar exam. Please rsvp to Curtis Cooper at curtis@curtiscooperlaw.com.
]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/nlg-md-party-at-xs-in-baltimore-on-november-28th/feed/02018_11_28 NLG MD Party Flyer_Page_1nlgmarylandMaryland Chapter of NLG – Next Meeting Will Be Held In January 2019https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/maryland-chapter-of-nlg-next-monthly-meeting-is-wednesday-december-12-2018-at-6-pm/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/maryland-chapter-of-nlg-next-monthly-meeting-is-wednesday-december-12-2018-at-6-pm/#respondMon, 05 Nov 2018 00:58:04 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1614The next meeting of the Maryland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild will be held in January 2019. Exact date, time and location of meeting will be announced as soon as possible. Look forward to seeing you there!
]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/maryland-chapter-of-nlg-next-monthly-meeting-is-wednesday-december-12-2018-at-6-pm/feed/0nlgmarylandStatement of NLG-MD in Support of Baltimore City Ballot Initiative E to Maintain a Public Water and Sewage Systemhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/statement-of-nlg-md-in-support-of-baltimore-city-ballot-initiative-e-to-maintain-a-public-water-and-sewage-system/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/statement-of-nlg-md-in-support-of-baltimore-city-ballot-initiative-e-to-maintain-a-public-water-and-sewage-system/#respondThu, 25 Oct 2018 13:58:56 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1612More Statement of NLG-MD in Support of Baltimore City Ballot Initiative E to Maintain a Public Water and Sewage System]]>In response to Carol Park’s October 21st OP-ED titled “It’s Not Too Late to Privatize Baltimore’s Water System; Here’s Why We Should”.

As an organization that has been fighting alongside our partners against the disastrous rise in water rates, the Maryland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG-MD) was interested to read the Op-Ed published by Carol Park on October 21st regarding the benefits of privatizing Baltimore’s water system. NLG-MD shares Park’s shock at the decades-long history of water mismanagement in Baltimore City and agrees that rapidly raising water rates present a crisis for Baltimore’s low-income residents and the city at-large. However, we take strong issue with her conclusion: that Baltimore and Baltimoreans would be better off with a private water company as opposed to a publicly managed entity.

The idea, raised by Park, that sovereign immunity would protect a public water provider, or at least create so much of a hindrance as to preclude a legal negligence action, is incorrect. The myriad of lawsuits dealing with sewage overflow in Baltimore show that private citizens who are harmed can hold the city government liable when it is negligent in providing water services. Although there are additional procedural steps to filing a formal action, these burdens are outweighed by the greatest benefit to keeping water in public hands: transparency.

Local governments in this state are subject to the Maryland Public Information Act. This means that DPW must provide documentation of sewage backups, water/sewer line work scheduling, accounting information and a myriad of other data. This documentation and information are crucial to advocating for a client in court or for the benefit of all Baltimoreans in City Hall. Were we to lose this valuable tool of data and information gathering, citizens, activists and lawyers alike would be in the dark as to the machinations behind how one of our most precious resources is being delivered.

A human being cannot be a human being for very long without water. It is because of this fact that we as an organization believe that humans have a right to clean water. As Baltimore voters go to the polls on November 6th, we hope that they agree with us that transparency and citizen oversight is the most effective way to make that right a reality.

-Statement Adopted by NLG-MD on October 24, 2018

]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/statement-of-nlg-md-in-support-of-baltimore-city-ballot-initiative-e-to-maintain-a-public-water-and-sewage-system/feed/0nlgmarylandBattle for the Bench: Resisting the Rise of the Judicial Right – by Traci Yoderhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/battle-for-the-bench-resisting-the-rise-of-the-judicial-right-by-traci-yoder/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/battle-for-the-bench-resisting-the-rise-of-the-judicial-right-by-traci-yoder/#respondMon, 01 Oct 2018 23:46:48 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1573Traci Yoder, Director of Research and Education of the National Lawyers Guild, has written a blog entitled “Battle for the Bench: Resisting the Rise of the Judicial Right“. This article is located under the Blog tab on the National Lawyers Guild main website http://www.nlg.org/category/blog.

]]>https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/battle-for-the-bench-resisting-the-rise-of-the-judicial-right-by-traci-yoder/feed/0nlgmarylandHelping Immigration Justice of Separated Children (HIJOS) Coalition – Efforts to Assist Immigrant Families and Separated Childrenhttps://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/report-from-helping-immigration-justice-of-separated-children-hijos-coalition/
https://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/report-from-helping-immigration-justice-of-separated-children-hijos-coalition/#respondThu, 27 Sep 2018 23:23:45 +0000http://nlgmarylanddotorg.wordpress.com/?p=1545More Helping Immigration Justice of Separated Children (HIJOS) Coalition – Efforts to Assist Immigrant Families and Separated Children]]>Helping Immigration Justice of Separated Children (“HIJOS”) is an informal coalition comprised of individuals who came together to see how to maximize assistance to children in need of various types of services, in preparation for when the shelters in Maryland indicate what is needed. HIJOS has 200 individuals comprised of therapists (physical, art, music, expertise with trauma and children), pediatricians, social workers, family and immigration law attorneys, as well as community organizers and activists.

Soon after the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy resulted in the separation of immigrant children from their parents, this group quickly formed to consider how needs and assistance could be handled by volunteers in Maryland. Betsy Cunningham and Siobhan Miller, both NLG Maryland Chapter members, have been instrumental in the administrative details of investigating what is happening and communicating this among the larger group. The intent was that HIJOS would only function for a few weeks or months, until there was confirmation that separated children placed in foster care in Maryland were reunited with their families. However, in spite of court orders, there remain children and parents NOT reunited.

Findings: Placement is made by the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement “ORR” (within the Department of Health and Human Services) with its approved “shelters.” ORR refers to this as Foster Care, but it is NOT the Maryland State Foster Care System. There is no state oversight of ORR, nor oversight of the children placed in the State of Maryland. The only State authority appears to be of the “facility” through a Maryland DHS licensing law.

Maryland US Senators and Representatives were briefed by Federal authorities, but say they are unable to take any action regarding the immigration policies, because they are the minority party. The Inspector General is conducting an investigation on the Federal side of how this failure of immigration services came about (no estimate of when the report will be completed).

Maryland Governor Hogan was also briefed that there would be between ten to twenty separated children placed in Maryland (nothing close to the 250 children figure which was originally announced). When Maryland Delegates and the Maryland Hispanic Caucus in the House of Delegates requested additional information and action from the Governor, Secretary Padilla of the Maryland Department of Human Services responded that the separated children issue is a Federal matter and there is nothing the Governor can do.

There appear to be two legal mechanisms that might still be possible in Maryland to have access to the children:

Under powers granted under the Flores Settlement Agreement (“Flores”) there can be appointed representatives to see the children. It appears there is no Flores representative designated for the State of Maryland. In the meantime, the Trump administration and DOJ have voiced intent to exempt, modify or otherwise terminate authority to appoint monitors/representatives granted under Flores. For more information on Flores, click here. And on September 7, 2018, DHS and HHS issued a notice of proposed rulemaking with provisions it says would “parallel relevant and substantive terms” of Flores and terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement. Written comments and related material must be submitted on or before November 6, 2018. Federal Register link.

Under the authority granted to disability Protection and Advocacy units, part of a nationwide network of disability rights agencies set up by Congress, representatives have access where there are disabled children. ORR has recently confirmed this authority and monitoring has begun, but we are not aware of it happening yet in Maryland. See link.

Bottom line: HIJOS volunteers have not been able to gain access to the children to assess the situation or offer pro bono services to children and their parents. HOW CAN I HELP?

(a) Make calls to your local Delegates, and Federal representatives. This issue is now on a back burner for them. Let them know you expect their leadership and expertise to give this issue priority. This is not just a legal issue. That is why HIJOS includes all kinds of professionals concerned about the children. Likewise, this issue is no longer on the front or editorial pages. Call media outlets and ask questions.

(b) Where are the children? What is happening for reunited families who want to seek asylum? Why are there still children who are not reunited? When will they be reunited?

(c) There are recently introduced bills in the House and Senate. Do you have time to read and review bills? HIJOS could use your help on this.

(d) Have you heard of groups organizing in other States or NLG groups to follow the placement of the children in their States confirming how they are being treated, and affirming they are reunited with their families?

You are welcome to join the HIJOS coalition and choose among ten Affinity Groups to get more involved in what’s happening to separated children. To join, please contact hijos.maryland@gmail.com.